Church of England votes against plan to rewild 30% of its land by 2030

Campaigners criticise C of E for failing to show moral leadership as one of country’s biggest landowners

The Church of England has voted against plans to restore 30% of its land for nature, with campaigners criticising its failure to show moral leadership.

The C of E owns about 42,500 hectares (105,000 acres) of land, making it one of England’s biggest landowners. Currently just 3.5% of its land is used for nature restoration.

The Rev Canon Val Plumb, an area dean in Oxford, introduced a private motion to the General Synod calling for it to rewild 30% of its land by 2030.

The UK, along with more than 100 other countries, has made an international commitment to restore 30% of its land for nature by 2030, a target which is considered the minimum needed to halt and reverse the global decline in nature.

Plumb’s motion was blocked on Tuesday, with the church’s national assembly instead passing a separate amendment that does not include any measurable rewilding targets.

This amendment, which was put forward by the Right Rev Graham Usher, the lead bishop for the environment, lists six steps that will be taken as an alternative to committing to the “30by30” target. This includes “where appropriate, continue to support nature restoration projects” and “engage and collaborate with tenants about sustainable farming”.

In the run-up to the vote, William Nye, the secretary general of the archbishops’ council, said Plumb’s motion was inconsistent with the church’s legal obligations and responsibility to ensure “long-term capital growth”.

Claire Rogers, a campaigner at Wild Card, a citizens’ movement campaigning for the UK’s biggest landowners to rewild their land, said the church had missed an opportunity to show moral leadership by failing to support the 30by30 motion.

“At a time when wildlife is collapsing in our countryside, we need much greater action than has been committed to today. Over 190 countries, including our own, committed to 30by30 for a reason – they can’t all be wrong,” she said.

Other large landowners have set measurable targets to protect nature. For example, the crown estate has committed to manage 36% of its land for nature by 2030.

On Monday the government published its strategy to reach its own 30by30 target. The plan was condemned as “pathetic” and “completely insufficient” in the face of the spiralling environmental crisis. Currently just 7% of land in England meets the 30by30 criteria.

The Church commissioners said they welcomed the amended motion that was passed and were “pleased that Synod has embraced a collaborative approach that balances further support for nature with our legal and fiduciary obligations.

“Because around 90% of our farmland portfolio is productive or highly productive agricultural land, our focus lies on integrating nature recovery into working landscapes, supporting food production, and fostering the resilience of rural UK businesses.”